Dragon Ball 10 Ways A LiveAction Movie Could Actually Work

Dragonball Evolution didn't turn out how everyone had hoped, but there might be ways to create a more successful Dragon Ball live-action film.

There are few anime series that achieve the level of universal notoriety of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball is over 30 years old, but its popularity has never been greater and there have been ambitious experiments with the franchise that have taken advantage of this success. An attempt at a live-action Dragon Ball movie was attempted back in 2009 to disastrous results, but that doesn’t mean that the prospect of such a thing is automatically set to fail.

There has been tremendous progress in the film industry in the decade since Dragon Ball Evolution’s release and the more encouraging state of live-action anime adaptations means that it might be time to give this idea another chance.

10 Allow True Fans To Adapt The Material

It’s shocking how much of a difference it makes when actual fans are involved with the production of an anime adaptation. 2009’s Dragon Ball Evolution definitely suffers from people that took the job as hired hands and were more interested in a paycheck than a creative adaptation of Toriyama’s story. There’s been more of an acceptance of anime in mainstream culture over the past decade, and it wouldn’t be difficult to find a talented filmmaker and screenwriter who adore the original. It also wouldn’t hurt to keep TOEI’s influence to a limit and not feel needlessly attached to unnecessary elements.

9 Establish The Right Tone For The Universe

Audiences won’t get on board with a live-action anime adaptation if it doesn’t have the right look, but what’s even more important is that the film’s tone exists in the right place. Dragon Ball is full of action, but it spends a lot of time developing its comedic sensibilities before it reaches this place. It’s imperative that a Dragon Ball movie understands this and doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s an inherent absurdity to the franchise that’s necessary to tap into. Curiously, Stephen Chow was a producer on Dragon Ball Evolution, but even more of his influence should be embraced.

8 Guarantee That It Has A Proper Budget & Franchise Prospects

A talented creative team and cast go a long way with a live-action anime adaptation, but so does the proper budget to bring an ambitious project of this nature to life. Dragon Ball Evolution’s budget was only $30 million, which inevitably sells the grandiose nature of the series short.

Audiences are also used to a higher level of spectacle due to the ballooning budget of superhero films. A new Dragon Ball film should understand its franchise potential and go all out and prepare to build a universe with a large budget that can pay itself back in the long run.

7 Focus On The Most Popular Elements From The Series, Like Transformations

Dragon Ball Evolution tackles introductory material from Dragon Ball. However, when most people think about Dragon Ball, the elements that come to mind as the flashy Super Saiyan transformations and explosive demonstrations of power. It’d be a controversial move but also incredible if a live-action Dragon Ball movie started at the Frieza Saga or developed the right circumstances to showcase Dragon Ball’s biggest moments, yet distilled them down to a tightly-paced action movie. It may not please everyone, but it’d be very exciting to see elements like a Super Saiyan transformation, Spirit Bomb, or even fusion come to life.

6 There’s Now Greater Respect & Quality For Anime Adaptations In Hollywood

2009 doesn’t seem that long ago, but it’s essentially a lifetime when it comes to the public’s perception and acceptance of anime. Dragon Ball was a massive success in 2009, but anime was still mystified to a degree. This stigma has mostly vanished and Hollywood continues to take on more big-budget anime-centric projects, such as Robert Rodriguez’s Alita and John Vogt-Roberts’ upcoming Gundam movie. There’s now substantially more optimism around Hollywood’s ability to understand a property like Dragon Ball than there was a decade ago.

5 Free Itself Of An "Origin Story"

A major problem that Dragon Ball Evolution and many other live-action anime adaptations suffer from is where they start their story. Dragon Ball Evolution puts together a patchwork of elements that touches on the original Dragon Ball’s major elements. It makes sense to start at the beginning, but it’s also worth considering the public’s general knowledge of the property.

A live-action Dragon Ball movie that decides to immediately jump to Cell, Buu, or even Dragon Ball GT content would be a radical approach, but it would also help get past some of the “origin story” issues that plague adaptations.

4 Blend Live-Action With Stylized CGI

There can sometimes be such a focus on the live-action aspect of an anime adaptation that audiences forget that CG elements can still be incorporated to blend these two worlds together. Something like Alita: Battle Angel is a great example of how to mesh CG aesthetic with live-action in order to capture an anime atmosphere. Certain aspects of Dragon Ball, especially some character design elements, would seem ludicrous in live-action. However, a smart use of CGI can turn these awkward areas into assets. Stephen Chow is another filmmaker that knows how to effectively blend these mediums.

3 Netflix Is Demonstrating A Better Understanding & Embracing Of Anime

The advent of multiple streaming services has benefitted anime in several ways, whether it’s a larger availability of classic content or new platforms to invest in new productions. Netflix has turned into a surprising ally and supporter of anime, and plenty of series have made their debut on the streaming site, as well as live-action content, like a Cowboy Bebop series on the way. Netflix has come a long way since their live-action Death Note adaptation and their general growth in the area gives better odds and more opportunities for a successful live-action Dragon Ball movie to happen.

2 Tell A Completely Original Story Within The Dragon Ball Universe

There can be endless pressure and temptation in regards to the specifics that surround anime adaptations that they sometimes feel doomed before they’ve even truly begun. It’s understandable why so many of these films stick to relatively straight adaptations, but sometimes a more successful approach is to craft an entirely original story that is still faithful to the spirit of the original. This doesn’t mean that Goku and company need to be turned into entirely different characters, but a focus on a different part of the Dragon Ball universe could alleviate pressure and still take advantage of Dragon Ball’s heightened energy.

1 There Are More Accomplished Japanese Auteurs Up To The Task

What’s actually most plausible is that a live-action Dragon Ball project comes out of Japan. Japan has a much more extensive reputation with live-action anime adaptations, which doesn’t mean that they’re all triumphs, but there have been considerable improvements in the past years. Auteur, Takashi Miike, has delivered stunning live-action adaptations of series like Ace Attorney and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure while Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Hideaki Anno has also become a major player in this area with a live-action Ultraman adaptation on the way. There are now simply more qualified filmmakers up to such a task.